1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to methods for fabricating fin-FET devices within semiconductor products. More particularly, the invention relates to methods for efficiently fabricating fin-FET devices within semiconductor products.
2. Description of the Related Art
Semiconductor products typically employ field effect transistor (FET) devices as switching elements for electrical signal processing functions or electrical signal storage functions. FET devices are quite common, but as they are scaled to smaller dimensions performance difficulties are often encountered. The performance difficulties often derive from short channel effects with FET devices of diminished channel width.
In an effort to alleviate short channel effects within FET devices of diminished channel width, the use of FET devices formed employing a channel having a fin shape has been proposed. Such FET devices are known as fin-FET devices. fin-FET devices are generally fabricated employing silicon-on-insulator (SOI) semiconductor substrates. A silicon fin is defined within the silicon layer of the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) semiconductor substrate and the fin is isolated from adjacent fins by the buried insulator layer within the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) semiconductor substrate.
Although a fin-FET device may be readily fabricated employing such a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) semiconductor substrate, the use of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) semiconductor substrates, rather than bulk semiconductor substrates, generally adds considerable additional cost when fabricating a fin-FET device.
It is thus desirable to provide a method for fabricating a fin-FET device while employing a bulk semiconductor substrate. The invention is directed towards the foregoing object.